Contents

Monteno's father Osvaldo was an "Italian from "Monfalcone.[1] During World War II, he was drafted and deployed to Yugoslavia in 1945 where he met a "Bosniak woman named Bahrija in "Sarajevo and fell in love.[2] Osvaldo left his pregnant wife in Italy to marry Bahrija.[3] Osvaldo's Italian wife gave birth in 1946 to a daughter named Daniela, Kemal's half-sister. Kemal was born to Osvaldo and Bahrija two years later in Sarajevo. Although his father was Catholic and his mother was a Muslim, Kemal was given a Muslim name.[4]

Osvaldo only spoke Italian and sang "canzones to Kemal when he was a child, while his mother sang him Bosnian "sevdalinkas.[5] Both Osvaldo and Bahrija were employed at Sarajevo's "Koševo stadium.[6]

He recorded his first song "Lidija" in 1967 and enjoyed a prosperous career in Yugoslavia. He is perhaps best known for "Sarajevo ljubavi moja", a tribute to his home town.[7]

Many of his songs have also been performed by others. For instance, "Bacila je sve niz rijeku" was a hit not only for him, but for "Toše Proeski, "Crvena Jabuka and "Indexi (the latter being the big hit). Similarly, others had success performing "Nekako s proljeća" (that one being a duet with "Crvena Jabuka in 1991) and "Nije htjela". In a February 2014 interview, Monteno said that "Nije htjela" (She Did Not Want To) was written about a famous Yugoslav musician's wife, who was in love with another singer.[8]

Over the years, due to his style of music, he became known as the "Bosnian "Roy Orbison", and even the "Bosnian "Neil Diamond."[9]

Monteno was diagnosed with diabetes in the late 1990s and received three-hour dialysis twice a week at the "University Hospital Centre Zagreb. Diabetes weakened his heart and Monteno felt that the stress of the war in his country also contributed to his illness.[14][15]

Monteno suffered a heart attack on 30 December 2011[16] and had bypass surgery in January 2012. A performance at the 2012 "Split Festival that summer was cancelled due to health issues[17] and rumors of his death circled the internet on 10 October 2012, even being picked up as fact by media in the region.[18]

On 15 November 2014, after nearly three years of waiting, Monteno received a phone call that a kidney was available for transplant.[19] He received the transplant the following morning in Zagreb.[20][21] He was again hospitalized in December 2014 and doctors believed that his "body did not accept the kidney that was transplanted in November."[22][23][24]